Young Instagram users could still face “serious risks” online despite new Teen Accounts introduced to boost safety, according to new research.
The findings, published by online child safety charity 5Rights Foundation, suggest the protections brought in by Instagram’s parent company Meta may not be working as intended.
Researchers said they were able to bypass age restrictions and sign up for Teen Accounts using fake birthdays.
Once signed up, they were exposed to sexualised content, hateful comments and recommendations to follow adult accounts.
The report comes just as Ofcom prepares to release its long-awaited children’s safety codes.
The rules will form part of the UK’s Online Safety Act, requiring social media platforms to demonstrate they are protecting under-18s.
Companies will have three months to show they have effective systems in place. These include stricter age verification, safer algorithms, and better moderation tools.
Teen Accounts were introduced by Instagram in September 2024 as a response to long-standing concerns about online harms.
The accounts aim to restrict contact from strangers and limit the content young people are exposed to.
Meta said: “The accounts provide built-in protections for teens limiting who’s contacting them, the content they can see, and the time spent on our apps.
“Teens in the UK have automatically been moved into these enhanced protections and under-16s need a parent’s permission to change them.”
Despite these assurances, the research shows that Instagram may still be failing to protect children from harmful online experiences.
The 5Rights team said their fake Teen Accounts were shown adult profiles to follow from the moment they signed up.
The report said the platform’s algorithm also pushed “sexualised imagery, harmful beauty ideals and other negative stereotypes”.
